Mounting and assembly of clockworks and bezels to clock casings



H. KIENZLE June 20, 1933.

MOUNTING AND ASSEMBLY OF CLOCKWORKS AND BEZELS TO CLOCK CASINGS Filed Sept.

ll]. W1 W INVEIglTOR lzknerilienzze ATTORNEY Patented June 20, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERBERT KIENZLE, OF VILLINGEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO KIENZLE UHREN- FABRIKEN A. G., OF SCHWENNINGEN-ON-TfiE-NECKAR, GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF GERMANY MOUNTING AND ASSEMBLY OF CLOCKWGRKS AND BEZELS TO CLOCK CASINGS Application filed S'eptember 20, 1928, Serial No. 307,187, and in Germany February 27, 1928.

My present invention relates to an improvement in clocks and more especially to an im provement in the structure of such clocks as combine a securing movement within the casing thereof and a bezel exteriorly thereof wherein common means are provided between the casing front bezel and a clock movement or frame thereof to insure relative registration therebetween, at the same time clamping the bezel and the clockwork movement and framing in operative relation quickly and efficiently upon the casing means.

Another advantage, by the joint connection of the exterior bezel and the interior clockwork, is that the common mounting thereof eliminates the error of registration between the bezel and its dial face, causing them to coincide with the hand axes of the clockwork when assembling, thereby eliminating labor and reducing the time of such assembly considerably.

In clocks of the type herein referred to, in former construction it has been the practice to secure the interior clock movement to the housing by means of a slide mounting thereon or else the clock movement was secured to the inner wall of the casing by screws and the bezel separately attached upon the external face of the casing, which practice prevented the required coincidental registration of the dial hand pintles with the coinciding openings in the dial and its bezel, thereby normally requiring resetting in order to ob tain the necessary registration and elimination of friction.

These and other features will be ascertained as the description proceeds, and it is obvious that modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing there is disclosed a characteristic construction carrying out the idea herein and in which Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line A-B of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken at aboutthe line CD of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The casing of the clock, in the present instance, as shown in the two figures, is generally denoted byb, and the structure of this type of clock is usually made of wood, although the casing may be made of other suitable materials. The clockwork framing n is supported upon a pair of studs 0, which are in turn mounted into suitable bushings 7 which are threaded to receive therein the threaded ends of the studs 0, one of which is shown in section in Fig. 1. Said framing or structure is for supporting the other usual clockwork mechanism, including the hands, presently referred to. The bushings f are suitably rigidly mounted in a bored face or attachment plate 0, through the circular bore 6 of which the appurtenant second-hand and hour and minute-hand pintles, not shown, project in the usual manner. The face or supporting plate 0 is further provided with a plurality of countersunk holes into which suitable attaching screws cl are arranged whereby the said face plate 0 may be attached to the inner wall of the front portion a of the casing, which is formed with an aperture or opening, as shown, in front of and larger than the bore of the plate 0.

Thus, when the face plate 0 is attached, with its affixed bushing f, the clockwork framing n may be readily attached thereto by screwing into the said bushings f a plurality of the said studs 0 which are provided at their outer ends 9 with a projecting screw driver slot, said studs 0 forming shoulder affixing means for attaching the clockwork framing and its appurtenant mechanism, not shown, to the face plate a in a rigid manner. The clockwork frames a may be allixed together by rivets p, Fig. 2, in the customary manner.

As a means for locating the bezel or front portion exteriorly, which normally forms the ornamental front of a clock of this character, and which may include the crown bezel glass g, the frame it with its appurtenant hinge connection it and the inner flaring bezel ferrule j, Fig. 1, there may be provided, at two different points, means whereby the bezel may be relatively located in precise position relative to the inner mounted metal clockwork framing and face plate, and this will now be described.

these comprise a pair of attaching studs m,

Fig. 1, having knurled heads m thereon within the interior of the casing, and which are threadedly bored at their inner ends to receive and threadedly engage with threaded studs 70, one of which is shown in Fig. 1.

The threaded studs 7; may be attached by a suitable flange end, in the present instance by means of a rivet It, the rivet thus joining the said threaded stud to an angle piece or fiange i, which is attached to and forms part of the hinge member or butt IL in the sectional part shown in the left hand portion of Fig. 1. The second knurled stud member m may be similarly attached at the opening side of the hinge it to the snap catch of the bezel, this not being shown, whereby in the present instance the bezel catch and the hinge are provided with two interior extending studs 76 which pass through suitable openings 72 in the face plate 0, whereupon the extending threaded ends 70 are engaged by the knurled studs m, it being understood that the holes 70 are precisely located relative to the studs k and the attached bezel whereby tightening of the knurled studs m draws the bezel into operative position in the bezel aperture provided in the front wall of the casing, as shown and thereby cause the bezel to be rigidly and accurately mounted relative to the internally mounted clockwork, and at the same time effectively clamping the front wall of the casing between the rear face B of the attaching ring of the bezel and the support piece 0, thus making a rigid register assembly of the two members by preformed or predetermined location of the intercoacting parts in which the attachment of the face plate 0 to the interior of the clock facing is the assembling factor.

lVhen first assembling the mechanism, as described, it is done in the order above set forth by first providing on the inner side of the front casing wall a series of screw holes for receiving the screws d therein, these being located at the rear of the front wall of the clock, interiorly, by means of a suitable template.

Therefore easy entrance is provided for the holding screws (Z in the desired location relative to the clock casing and thus establishing the primary registration of the clockwork for finally mounting the bezel thereto in accurate registered location.

More than two fixing studs m may be utilized, if desired, although only two are herein shown for affecting the desired clamping registration of the bezel to the interiorly attached clockwork.

It is obvious from the foregoing disclosure that no particular care is required to true up neiaoee the works movement relative to the bezel, or the bezel to the works movement, in the present instance, and that the utmost accuracy and ease of assembly is accomplished by the present improvement, and that the face or supporting plate 0 together with the appurtenant means 2', R and k of the bezel provide for the easy and accurate assembly of the two component parts in a simple and efficient manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a clockwork of the class described a. casing, having therein an apertured wall, a face plate mounted in the interior of said casing and secured to said wall adjacent said aperture, a bezel at the front of said casing at said aperture, a clock movement in said casing, studs for supporting said movement, threaded ends on said studs, interiorly threaded bushings secured to said plate for detachably receiving said ends therein, thereby detachably connecting said movement to said plate, and a. means for detachably securing said bezel to said plate in registration with said movement.

In a clock comprising a casing having a front wall, which latter is provided with an opening, a plate disposed on the inner surface of said wall and having a bore coaxial with said opening, clockwork structure carried by the inner surface of said plate for appearing through said bore and said opening, a bezel exteriorly positioned on said wall, a flange carried by said bezel within said opening, and means for attaching said plate to said flange whereby to support said structure.

3. In a clock comprising a casing having a front wall, which latter is provided with an opening, a plate disposed on the inner surface of said wall and having a bore coaxial with said opening, clockwork structure carried by the inner surface of said plate, a bezel including a transparent crown exteriorly positioned on the wall at said opening, clockwork structure carried on the inner surface of said plate, said structure being visible through said crown, a flange carried by said bezel and disposed in said opening, and means cooperating with said flange and said plate for urging said plate and said bezel into gripping relation with said wall, whereby also to support said structure.

4. A clock comprising in combination with a case having a front wall, which latter is provided with an opening, a plate having a bore coaxial with said opening and positioned on the inner surface of said wall, a bezel positioned on the outer surface of said wall and including a transparent crown, clockwork mechanism disposed on the inner side of said plate for appearing through said bore and said crown, a flange carried by said bezel and disposed within said opening, and means adjustably cooperating with said plate and said flange for urging said plate and said bezel into gripping relation with said wall, whereby also to support said mechanism.

5. The combination with a clock comprising a front wall having an opening therein, a

plate positioned on said front wall and having a bore coaxial with said opening, a bezel having an attaching ring disposed around said opening, clockwork structure mounted on the inner side of said plate for appearing through said opening, of a flange carried by said bezel in said opening and means adjustably attaching said flange and said plate, whereby to urge said plate and said bezel into gripping relation with said wall, said means including a rivet carried by said flange, a threaded stud carried by said rivet and projecting through said plate, an elongated stud threadedly cooperating with the first mentioned stud and engaging said plate, and manipulable means rigid With said elongate stud.

6. A clock comprising in combination with a casing having in its front wall an opening,

a plate disposed against the rear face of said wall and having a bore coaxial with said opening, clockwork supports carried by said plate, which latter has therein apertures, a bezel engaging the front face of said wall and having a flange in said opening, and adjustable means attaching said plate and said bezel, said means including studs which are carried by said flange, said studs having threaded shanks freely movable in said apertures, and manipulable means engaging the rear face of said plate and having threaded sockets which cooperate with the threads of said shanks.

Signed at Stuttgart, Germany, this 23rd day of August, A. D. 1928.

HERBERT KIENZLE. 

